breaking apart
by crazypersonfromalandfarfaraway
Summary: Jason's POV at Camp Jupiter. greeks and romans...they fight each other, even when its love, even when the world is about to end. will they get it right?


I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE IDEA...

* * *

Jason walked with his head bowed, the cold night air wrapping around his neck, like a hand trying to strangle him.

His fellow Romans walk past him, smiling at him; but they receive no acknowledgment in return. His thoughts are racing, encircling each other and clashing together like two entities at war.

He could still hear her voice in his head, it was a broken, defeated whisper that froze him inside out. Unbidden, the entire scene replays.

_***flashback**__*_

He was walking towards the mess hall alone, the rest of them had gone ahead of him. They wanted a tour, but he wanted something more than that, he wanted to simply walk through each street and feel the relief of actually being home, of actually feeling as though he belonged.

He had felt welcomed at Camp Half Blood, but this was different, this was his home, and he'd always belong here. Jason closed his eyes and breathed in with glee, but his moment was disturbed by the sound of someone falling.

He looked ahead, off the road he could see Percy Jackson getting up and dusting himself off. He then walked hurried towards a group of trees.

It was odd, and Jason was curious about it, so got off the road and followed the son of Neptune.

Thinking about it now, it was probably better he hadn't done that.

Jason sneaked along as quietly as he could, but he didn't need to go far. Just beyond the trees was Reyna, the female leader of New Rome, the one who ruled single-handedly for 8 months, who was a proud warrior and daughter of Bellona.

Looking at her now, he'd never believed that though.

She sat on the protruding root of a centuries old oak tree. Her left elbow on her knee, her hand cupping her chin. She stared listlessly at nothing in particular, as though there was really nothing to hold her interest anymore.

Jackson walked towards her and sat across from her on the forest floor. Jason on the other hand, stood sheltered by trees and bush.

"You alright?" Percy asked her, sounding slightly uncomfortable.

"Fine" Reyna she said, then gave a bitter chuckle. "fine as I could be"

After a few seconds, Percy cleared his throat and said softly, "He just needs time Reyna, just give him that."

"He has had time Percy, 8 months; 8 whole months. Enough to remember me, and apparently enough to forget me."

It took Jason two seconds to realize they were talking about him.

"Rey-"

"Don't...I..just...I can't...He moved on...He met someone else, and I have to assume...Have to accept that maybe... Maybe I didn't matter to him as much as he did to me. That I was just his co praetor, nothing more. That I was really nothing special to him."

Percy looked at her, and shifted uncomfortably. "You did say that there might have been something...if this hadn't happened."

"But it did happen...and besides...I'm not sure anymore..." her voice trailed off.

"Sure about what?" Percy

"I'm not sure that I ever meant anything to him. I mean...I don't know if he ever thought of me...as I thought of him..." as she spoke, her face twisted as though in pain, as though simply speaking these things out loud was worse than anything else. Then she laughed again, tears springing into her eyes as she did.

"I was a fool...a hopeful one, but a fool none the less. Things were going to perfect. I had a great home, a great political position that could open a lot of doors... a great life. All that was missing was for Jason to be mines...for us to become something more than just co-preators. And I should never have..." she shook her head, her eyes wide with; she had just realized something dreadful. "I should have realized that something would go wrong. That my life could never be that good"

Reyna brought her knees up and hugged them, she stared straight at Percy. She swallowed painfully and then spoke." You think I'm overreacting, but really, I just wanted to be happy for once, to have that moment when everything simply falls into place and I actually have that one person who loves me no matter what...I thought that Jason..." she couldn't continue as tears started to race down her face.

Percy Jackson got up and put his hands around her, bringing her closer to him for comfort, while Jason stood like a statue, immobile, mute and numb to everything around him as her suppressed sobs reached his ears.

_**end flashback**_

The flashback ended just as he reached the bridge that spanned across the Little Timber.

He pulled his hands out of his pockets and grasp the cold hard steel railing.

_Seriously, could this get any worse? _He asked himself, aggravated by the fact that his life is becoming a disaster zone with what seemed like a record speed.

_I thought it'd be okay. I thought that maybe I was doing the right thing...that maybe there would be one thing in my life that was going right._

_You did, did you? _A voice asks him from somewhere within his head.

_Even when you kissed Piper and your thoughts would wander to Reyna?_

Jason unconsciously flinched, not wanting to admit the truth.

_Hm...You didn't truly think that, you want to believe you did, but you didn't. Yet at the same time, you didn't plan on it. You didn't plan on hurting anyone._

_But that's just it, you don't want to hurt anyone. That's why you let Piper and you happen, because you didn't want to hurt Piper. She likes you, you know. A lot. And she doesn't want to lose you. So you didn't hurt her. Besides you do like her. Shes is beautiful, and smart and she cares about you._

_So you should be happy with her._

_But you're not._

_Because, your heart, not just your brain, is haunted by that one single name._

_The name that belongs to the one person who actually missed you, not just because of your role as co-praetor, but missed you as a person, who missed you because she loves you._

_The one who never gave up on you._

_Who waited for you._

_who is hiding her tears from you because she doesn't want to ruin your happiness._

_who is trying to be strong when you've just trampled over her heart._

Jason closed his eyes tightly as he attempted to crush the steel railing with his bare hands.

_How could I be so stupid? I never stopped thinking about her. How could I assume that it would be okay._

He unconsciously shook his head.

_Gods Reyna, how could you love me when I'm so stupid? And Piper you too..how could you? I'm not worth either one of you...why?"_

Then, Jason's mind when back to earlier in the evening, when Percy Jackson was comforting Reyna. He couldn't admit it then, nor could he admit it ever, but despite the circumstances, it still burned to see Jackson hold Reyna like that.

He didn't care that Percy was trying to comfort her.

He didn't care that Percy already had a girlfriend.

It only mattered that he was holding Reyna, when Jason himself wanted to, even though he was the one hurting her.

"Jason?" Piper's voice infiltrated his mind, and he could feel himself relax almost immediately.

He loosened his grip on the railing.

"Jason is that you?" she asked him, her voice sounding closer.

Jason opened his eyes and breathed away the last of his anger, he was a Roman after all, his feelings were easily hidden and well guarded.

He turned to face her.

"Hey Pipes whats up?" he asked her, almost naturally.

She lets out a relived breath. "well for one thing you didn't make it to dinner, and I was worried about you" she said as she kissed him. "Thank the Gods your okay...but what happened?"

Jason smiled at her, "Nothing just wanted a walk."

"But you mis-"

"Oh...you found him." Annabeth's voice interrupts Piper.

They both turn towards her voice and see Percy and Reyna with her.

"Yep, found him." Piper said with a smile.

Jason smiled back, but his attention focused on Reyna's face.

She was like him, a Roman who can hide emotions well, and because of that, he can see through her mask.

She bit her lips slightly, probably attempting to hold herself back from saying anything. She did that all the time, he remembered fondly, every time she was mad, she'd bit her lips and breathe in to calm herself.

And he could read her eyes, if only she'd look at him, and not try so hard to avoid him.

Jason didn't realize he was staring at her until she glanced at him and took a surprised step back, almost as though she was afraid of him.

Jackson apparently noticed, because he put placed himself protectively in front of her.

That one action made Jason feel sick to his stomach.

_Reyna would never allow him to do that, yet Percy did it, and she allowed him to; because she wanted protection...from him._

_Reyna wanted protection from him; because he was hurting her in the worst way possible._

Then another irrational thought occurred.

_I hate you Percy Jackson. You may not be taking her from me, but I should there. At her side, protecting her. You're in my spot Jackson._

Jason rubbed behind his neck.

"You okay sparky?" Piper asked him, and he felt the urge to tell her everything, but instead he said, "yep fine, just tired."

Piper moved closer to him, folding her hand in his.

Jason silently wondered whether Piper knew how difficult their relationship had become, whether she knew if she was hurting someone else, and whether she would care.

Not that the last part was necessary, Piper was a daughter of Aphrodite, and wasn't exactly like the rest back at Camp Half Blood.

Yet, still he wondered, she must have thought that there might be someone waiting for me right?

Piper opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by Percy.

"We're all probably tired. We had a rough day. We should get some rest, tough times ahead"

Everyone else agreed with a nod, and even though Jason wasn't feeling particularly partial to the son of Neptune, he also agreed.

Percy moved to hugged Annabeth goodnight, and as he did so, Jason caught a glance at Reyna.

She was looking at the ground intently as though it was made of gold. Then, automatically she raised her head slightly, and caught his eyes.

They stared at each other, and a sense of longing when through Jason. He couldn't say exactly what he longed for, but he felt something twist inside him, as though he was separated from the one thing he needed the most.

When Percy and Annabeth were done saying good night to each other, they went their separate ways. Percy and Reyna in one direction, and Jason, Piper and Annabeth in another.

* * *

So I didn't write for a while; left most of my stories incomplete. I'll try to do better :)

Sorry about misspelling, punctuation etc. just wrote and submitted.

Yeah, Reyna is a bit OC in the flash back, but...well...I'm not sure the reason behind that...if there is.

I may/may not post more for this story.

I know the name sort of sucks, so if you have a better one, just tell me, and if I like it to, I'll change it.

Read and Review.


End file.
